News


World Cup crackdown


KENT Police has kicked off a crack- down on drink-driving to coincide with theWorld Cup. Officers will be stopping and breathalysing anyone suspected of drink-driving. Sergeant Hannah Brown said: “Summer inevitably means more barbecues and longer nights out. The football this year provides an additional reason for people to get together and enjoy themselves. “Kent Police is reminding people


who choose to drink that there is no safe drink-drive limit. Anyone get- ting behind the wheel when under the influence can expect to be brought before the courts. “In June and July 2012, when the


last major football tournament was held, Kent Police arrested 361 peo- ple for drink-driving and other re- lated offences. Ourwarning applies not only to those returning home at the end of the night after watching games in pubs and bars but to any- one planning a get-together away from the TV.Anyone heading home or out to work the next morning may still not be fit to drive.” Drink-driving, or failing to pro-


vide a specimen, carries a penalty of up to six months in prison plus a fine of up to £5,000 and a driving ban of at least 12 months.


downsmail.co.uk


Call for restrictions on ‘untidy’ For Sale signs


ESTATEagents in Maidstone could be asked to get planning permis- sion before erecting For Sale andTo Let signs in gardens. LibDemplanning spokesman Cllr


Tony Harwood wants Maidstone Council to adopt a policy similar to that implemented by councils such as Hastings and Newcastle to reduce street clutter. Cllr Harwood would like to see


policy DM7, which governs shop front signage, extended as part of the emerging local plan, to incorporate estate agent signs, many of which are left standing long after proper- ties exchange hands. Cllr Harwood said: “The prepon- derance of For Sale and To Let signs provide an opportunity for free mar- keting at the expense of the aesthet- ics of the local street scene, and often remain in situ for periodswell in ex- cess of the 14-day limit enshrined within the relevant code of practice.” The approach is supported by the National Planning Policy Frame- work and Cllr Harwood said the town centre is particularly affected, with its large numbers of flats and bedsits. He said that large numbers


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Cllr Tony Harwood with signs at Buckland Hill


of signs not only detract from the quality of the street scene, but give an “often unwarranted air of tran- sience and even decline”. He said the problem was equally


bad in villages and conservation areas, which could be blighted by untidy and multiple signs. He said: “By ensuring that plan-


ning permission is required and that a high bar is set to better regulate and reduce this untidy form of free advertising, the quality of Maidstone borough’s residential and commer- cial districts could be enhanced sig- nificantly.” MurrayWills, managing director


of Page &Wells, admitted some es- tate agents flouted the rules, but


said: “There are laws which govern estate agents’ boards and it is down to the local council to enforce them. If the council has a problem, it has the tools to do something about it.” Cllr Harwood said he believed


most housebuyers found properties directly through estate agents or on the internet, but Mr Wills argued that the boards generated enquiries. He said:“We get phone calls within hours of a board going up.” CllrHarwood said: “This is an un- regulated, messy form of marketing which we would be better off with- out. If therewas a need for an agent to market large commercial prem- ises in this way, the permission would give agents clear guidance on what kind of signage, its position and its duration. At present, there is no regulation.”


Do you think Maidstone has too much street clutter? Where are the town’s worst


eyesores? Email the editor on stephen@downsmail.co.uk


‘believe in more 8 Malling June 2014


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